Magnetic phase diagram of HoxTm1-x alloys

The magnetic phase diagram of the competing anisotropy system, Ho/Tm, has b een determined by neutron-scattering techniques and the results compared wi th calculations based on a mean-field model. The crystal-field interactions in Ho favor alignment of the magnetic moments in the basal plane whereas i n Tm they favor alignment along the c axis. Single-crystal alloys were grow n with molecular-beam epitaxy techniques in Oxford. The components of the m agnetic moment alone the c direction and in the basal plane were determined from the neutron-scattering measurements. Five distinct magnetic phases, w ith long-range order, were identified and the magnetic phase diagram, inclu ding a pentacritical point, determined. A mean-field model was used to expl ain the results and the results are in good agreement with the experimental results.